More Noida residents threaten protests on DND flyway

A group of residents met Noida authority chairman Rama Raman demanding removal of toll from the flyway with immediate effect.

The Noida Vikas Manch, whose members met the Noida CEO on Tuesday, has held anti-toll protests at the DND Flyway earlier too.(HT File Photo)

The number of residents raising their voice against levy of toll charges on the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway seems to be increasing. On Tuesday, another group of residents met Noida authority chairman Rama Raman demanding removal of toll from the flyway with immediate effect.

A delegation of the Noida Vikas Manch (NVM), a city-based NGO, met the chairman and submitted a memorandum demanding withdrawal of toll. The memorandum also contained allegations against the flyway concessionaire Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NTBCL) and alleged that the authority was ignoring the issue by saying that the matter is sub-judice.

NVM members warned that if the authority did not make efforts to probe the allegations against NTBCL they would hold a protest rally on the flyway in July when the courts reopen after vacations.

“We have requested for a probe into the land allotted to the DND concessionaire on lease and have appealed to the Noida authority chairman to probe into the DND office building as it was erected without approval from the competent authority. We have requested the chairman to take up the case strongly in the Allahabad high court and scrap the agreement signed in 1997 with the NTBCL for a period of 30 years,” said Joginder Singh Awana, president, NVM.

Raman said that the matter is in the high court and Noida authority is already doing its job. “It is not appropriate to comment as the matter is sub-judice and it would amount to contempt of court,” he said.

An NTBCL spokesperson too refused to comment saying, “The matter is in the high court.”

In the past six months, five protests by residents have taken place on the DND flyway with protesters even forcibly opening the flyway’s boom barriers in the presence of police and local administration. Last Saturday too, a large number of residents under the banner of the NGO Maulik Bharat had held a protest at the spot.

Earlier this year, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s principal secretary Anita Singh had written to the Noida authority asking it to order an audit into NTBCL’s account.

“In her letter to Rama Raman, she asked for an audit to be conducted by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) of India. She also said that the authority must attempt to make the flyway toll-free,” said Nawab Singh Nagar, former MLA from Noida.